This application claims benefit of Japanese Application Nos. Hei 11-237551 filed in Japan on Aug. 24, 1999, Hei 11-294331 filed in Japan on Oct. 15, 1999, Hei 11-294332 filed in Japan on Oct. 15, 1999, Hei 11-304283 filed in Japan on Oct. 26, 1999, 2000-197252 filed in Japan on Jun. 29, 2000, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to an electric treatment system for electrically performing a treatment for a curative procedure.
In recent years, electric treatment apparatus have been widely used. Examples of such are electric knives, which conduct a high frequency current to perform a treatment in a curative procedure, and ultrasonic treatment apparatus which utilize ultrasonic waves to perform a treatment an the curative procedure.
For example, an ultrasonic treatment apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2578250 is composed of a hand piece, a probe, an ultrasonic wave output unit, a perfusion unit, and an aspiration unit. A resistor or a diode provided in the hand piece is used to sense the type of the hand piece. In addition, the type of prove is sensed by measuring the characteristic of the connected probe with a faint output.
The foregoing patent discloses an easy-to-use medical instrument, in which the ultrasonic wave output, the perfusion amount, and the aspiration amount are automatically set depending on the types of particular hand piece and the probe. An electric knife apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-250 senses the type of an electrode connected thereto through a resistor provided in the electrode. Then, a driving signal for an electric knife is output in a mode according to the type of the electrode. The electric knife apparatus can switch among three modes: low impedance mode, middle impedance mode, and high impedance mode. This patent document discloses a medical instrument, in which an optimal output mode is automatically selected in accordance with the used electrode through the mode switching.
Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-178780 relates to a cautery apparatus and a pneumoperitoneum apparatus, and discloses a device that maintains a clear field of view within a body cavity. Specifically, the pneumoperitoneum apparatus aspirates smoke produced by cautery within the body cavity in association with an output of the cautery apparatus, and instead feeds a gas to provide such clear field of view.
Further, an ultrasonic operation apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-49647 discloses a device which can record the results of monitoring such as a period for which a hand piece has been used, a vibration conversion efficiency for voltage/current inputs, the amount of generated heat, and so on on a recording medium provided in the hand piece.
Japanese Patent No. 2578250 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-250 describe an ultrasonic operation apparatus and an electric knife apparatus, respectively, in which as a hand piece is connected to the apparatus, the type of the hand piece is sensed to automatically control output setting, perfusion setting, aspiration setting, output mode, and other parameter that are preferred for use with the hand piece.
The foregoing techniques work well as long as a single apparatus, i.e., the ultrasonic operation apparatus alone, or the electric knife apparatus alone is used. However, with recent advances in technologies and increasing complexity of techniques and devices, even when a hand piece is merely used, a plurality of devices must be controlled simultaneously, rather than a single device.
As an example of simultaneous control of plural devices, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-178780 discloses an associative control of an electronic knife apparatus and a pneumoperitoneum apparatus.
In the disclosed associative control, remove the removing smoke produced by an electronic knife output from a body cavity, the pneumoperitoneum apparatus aspirates the smoke in association with the output and feeds a gas of an amount corresponding to the aspirated smoke. Here, the control is conducted on the assumption that the electric knife apparatus and the pneumoperitoneum apparatus are associated with each other, in other words, on the assumption that a hand piece for an endoscopic operation is used.
In practice, however, an electric knife may be used for incision and coagulation of skin in some cases. In this event, the electric knife is not used under an endoscope, therefor the operation of the pneumoperitoneum apparatus associated with the output may cause some trouble. For this reason, when the electric knife is not used under the endoscope, the electric knife apparatus must be disconnected from the pneumoperitoneum apparatus each time the electric knife apparatus is used alone.
In an operation field, such apparatus are typically concentrated on a single carrier or the like for connection, therefor a change in connection, if required each time the electric knife is not used under the endoscope, is troublesome for the user.
Since the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-49647 allows the past utilization log to be known, this is convenient for maintenance. However, each time the apparatus is used, the user must again perform settings, connections etc. for respective apparatus. The time-consuming and laborious work improve upon to the user does constitute a problem as is the case in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-178780.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric treatment system that is capable of reducing work involved in changing connections and settings by controlling the operation of a medical instrument corresponding to a hand piece connected to the medical instrument, even when a different of types of hand pieces can be connected to a different of types of medical instruments.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electric treatment system that is capable of smoothly performing a treatment and offering a good operability.
The present invention provides an electric treatment system which comprises:
a plurality of types of treatment tools each for performing a treatment for a curative procedure;
a plurality of types of medical instruments to which at least one of the plurality of types of treatment tools is selectively and removably connected, for electrically controlling an operation of the at least one treatment tool connected thereto;
an identifier provided in each of the plurality of types of treatment tools for identifying each treatment tool;
an identifier discriminating device provided in each of the plurality of types of medical instruments for discriminating at least the type of a connected treatment tool from the identifier; and
a control unit for controlling operating parameters for a medical instrument to which a treatment tool is connected, from the result of determination by the identifier discriminating device,
whereby a medical instrument to which a treatment tool is actually connected can perform a treatment with operating parameters suitable for the treatment tool.